The timing of this year’s celebration is rather ironic coming on the heels of the election, which highlighted the current health crisis the US is facing. Many numbers were tossed about in election debates and ads, but two of particular significance are 5 and 50. Five percent of Americans suffer from multiple, chronic conditions that bounce them in and out of the hospital and other skilled nursing facilities, accounting for 50 percent of rising health care costs that threaten to cripple states and the federal government. Home care offers a cost-effective option delivered right where people want to be: home.

It’s no surprise that an AARP study revealed that 90 percent of seniors wish to remain in their own home, “aging in place”. The Department of Labor’s latest data shows that home care has boomed as America ages. The value of home care has been further highlighted in the Affordable Care Act, which has put forth several initiatives to support the disabled and aging populations.

Indeed, statistics have shown that home care is a highly viable and cost-effective alternative in care that can help reduce re-hospitalizations of chronically ill people, while providing quality care in the very environment most wish to receive it – home. Home care clinicians are experienced in acute care, subject to the same qualifications and licensure requirements as their facility-based counterparts, and must successfully pass annual competency testing in homecare practices and procedures. As for costs, using average Medicare expenditures as a measure for comparison, home care costs Medicare $44 per day while nursing homes average $599/day and hospitals average $1,932/day for Medicare. (Source NAHC)

With baby boomers entering their golden years, the demand for home care services is expected to increase considerably. In fact, registered nurses, home health aides and personal care aides are among the top five occupations projected to see the largest increase in jobs by 2020.